Telephone-call register.



J. A. ROBINSON.

TELEPHONE CALL REGISTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY26, I913.

Patented June 15, 1915.

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TELEPHONE CALL REGISTER.

APPLICATIOLL FILED MAY 26, 1913- I 1,143,140. I Patented June 15, 1915.

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JAY A. ROBINSON, OF DENVER, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH TO ALFRED J. OBRIEN AND ONE-FOURTH TO SOLON J.- BOUGH'ION, 0F DENVER, COLORADO.

TELEPHONE-CALL REGISTER.

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Application filed May 26, 1913.

To aZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAY A. ROBINSON, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Telephone- Call Registers; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in means for registering calls of telephone subscribers, my object being to provide a device adapted to be employed in connection with a telephone switchboard, which shall make it impossible to register a call unless a double operation is performed.

Heretofore, so far as I am aware, automatic registers have been employed, which, under some circumstances, will register calls where the caller has not succeeded in getting in communication with the party called.

In my improvement, I employ either electrical or purely mechanical means for actu ating the counting register. In the one case, the electrical circuit is closed through an electromagnet connected in operative relation with the counting register, the closing of the circuit being manually accomplished by the operator. This is preferably done by pushing a button connected with what is termed the cap of the signal light. In this construction, I employ two spring contacts, which are normally separated whereby the magnet circuit is broken. When a plug is inserted for the purpose of closing the contact circuit these two contacts are bodily actuated, since there is room on the side opposite from the plug for such movement without bringing the separated extremities of the contacts together. After, however, a conversation has occurred, and the operator has been warned of such result by the well known mechanism forming a part of telephone switchboard systems, the operator pushes a button which constitutes the cap of the signal lamp, this button cap, however, being movable in the switchboard and equipped with a sleeve, which when actuated, engages one of the said magnet circuit Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 15, 1%15.

Serial No. 769,784.

contacts directly opposite the engagement of the aforesaid plug, the said sleeve being of suflicient thickness to wedge the magnet circuit contacts between the sleeve of the push button and the plug, the space being so reduced that the normally separated extremities of the two contacts are brought together, thus closing the magnet circuit, the armature of the latter being actuated to impart movement to the ratchet disk of a reg ister through the instrumentality of a pawl connected with the armature, the said movement of the ratchet disk being sufficient to register a call. This is one way of accomplishing the aforesaid object through the agency of electrical apparatus.

Where I employ purely mechanical means, I use a pivoted member, which is U-shaped, one of its arms being pivoted at its eX- tremity, while the other arm is movably connected with a slidable member carrying a pawl adapted to act upon the ratchet disk of the counting register, when the slidable member is actuated, the said slidable member being normally spring retained at its rearward limit of movement.

During the insertion of the plug, the pivoted member is actuated to bring the slidable member into the path of the push button sleeve, whereby, when the latter is actuated, it acts upon the slidable member and moves the pawl sufficiently to rotate the ratchet disk the distance of one tooth, thereby registering a call.

The constructions outlined, as aforesaid, are suitable embodiments of the invention, but it must be understood that I am not limited to, specific constructions, except as set forth in the appended claims.

Having briefly outlined my im roved construction, I will proceed to descri e the same in detail, reference being made to the accompanying drawing, in which is illustrated an embodiment thereof.

In this drawing: Figure 1 is a fragmentary section taken through a switchboard cutting an opening for receiving a circuit closing plug, the contacts, which cooperate to close the circuit when the plug is in place, being shown in elevation, the electrical conductors leading thereto being broken away a short distance from the contacts. In this view, the normally separated spring con tacts of the magnet circuit are illustrated.

Fig. 2 is a similar view with the circuit closing plug in place. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing, however, the electromagnet and its connections with the ratchet of the register and the magnet circuit complete, the push-button being shown in the actuated position in this view, whereby the magnet circuit contact members are brought together, thus closing the circuit throughthe electromagnet. Fig. 4 is a similar section, illustrating another form of construction. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, showing thep'arts, however, in different relative positions.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the views.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, let the numeral 5 designate a switchboard, which is composed of two separated members 6 and 7, in which are formed openings 8 and 9 to receive a plug 10 arranged to cooperate with spring contacts 12 and 13 for closing the talking circuit, the said plug being inserted whenever a subscriber calls. The circuit wires, connected with the contacts 12 and 13 are designated 14 and 15, respectively. Arranged in suitable proximity to the plug 10 are two spring contacts 16 and 17, one extremity of each being secured to an insulating member 18. To one of these contacts leads a circuit wire 19 connected with a pole 20 of an electrical battery 21, while from its companion spring contact 17 a conductor 22 leads to a terminal 23 of an electromagnet 24, from whose opposite terminal 25 a conductor 26 leads to a pole '27 of the battery 21. The

extremitie'sof the spring contacts 16 and 17 opposite those connected with the insulating member 18 are curved, as shown at 28, their ends being turned inwardly, as shown at 29, arranged in parallel relation and normally separated by a space 30. The contact member 16 is secured to the insulating part 18 by a screw 31; while one extremity of the contact 17 is formed into an eye 32, which surrounds a stationary spindle 33. Below the contact 17 is a stop pin 34, located forward of the spindle 33, thus preventing the two contacts 16 and 17 from swinging downwardly bodily. Now, when a plug 10 is inserted into the openings 8 and 9, as shown in Fig. 2, a part of this plug will engage an insulating member 35, secured to the curved part 28 of the contact 16. This engagement will depress the contact 16 or actuate it sufliciently to partly close the space '30 between the extremities 29 of the contacts 16 and 17. The circuit of the magnet 24, however, will still remain open. Now, assuming that the subscriber, whose telephone is in the circuit closed by the plug 10, has held a conversation with the party called, as soon as that conversation is completed, an operator will press a push-button 36, which normally protrudes into an opening 37 and is connected with a sleeve 38, which protrudes through an opening 39 formed in the switchboard member 7. The inner extremity of this sleeve is normally in close proximity to an insulating part 35, formed on the curved part 28 of the contact 17 Now, when the push-button 36 is forced inwardly to the position shown in Fig. 3, it actuates the contact 17 sufficiently to bring its part 29 into engagement with the corresponding part of the contact 16, thus closing the magnet circuit by virtue of the construction heretofore described.

Between the push-button 36 and the plate 7 of the switchboard is located a spiral spring 40, which normally has a tendency to maintain the push-button and the sleeve connected therewith at their outward limit of movement or that illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. Now, when the push button is pressed inwardly to the position shown in Fig. '3, it engages the contact 17 V with sufficient force to cause the friction between the sleeve 38 and the said contact to prevent the spring 40 from automatically returning the push-button to its normal position. Hence, the magnet will remain closed a suiiicient length of time to allow the armature 41 of the magnet, which is connected with an arm 42, pivotally connected, as shown at 43, to actuate the arm 42 sufficiently to cause a pawl 44, pivotally connected with the end of the said arm, as shown at 45, to move a ratchet disk 46 sufliciently to register a call on the registering device or counter 47. The pawl engages a tooth 48 of the ratchet. Now, as soon as the call has been registered, the operator removes the plug 10 from the switchboard and consequently from engagement with the contact 16 of the magnet circuit, and this contact, in that event, by virtue of its yielding or spring capacity, automatically resumes its normal position, whereby the adjacent extremities 29 of the contacts 16 and 17 are again separated, thus breaking the magnet circuit, deenergi'zing the magnet and allowing its armature, together with the arm 42, to resume its normal position, in response to the tension of a spiral spring 49, which is connected at one extremity with a stationary pin 50, its opposite extremity being connected with the arm 42, as shown at 51. This movement of the arm 42, in response to therecoil of the'spring 49, will lift the pawl 44sufliciently to place it in position to engage another tooth of the ratchet disk 46, whereby the pawl is in position to register the next call, after the magnet circuit is closed.

, In order that the pawl 44 may properly perform its function, it is acted on by a spring 52, one extremity of which movably engages the paw1,as shown at 53, its opposite extremity being fixedly connected with the arm 42 by means of rivets 54, or other suitable fastening devices.

The push-buttons 36 are centrally cut away, as shown at 55, transparent disks 56 being inserted, whereby incandescent lamps 57 are visible through the said disks or lenses. These lamps are employed regularly in connection with switchboards of this character, and their function, therefore, need not be herein explained in detail.

From the foregoing description, the use and operation of my improvement, so far as relates to this form of the invention, will be readily understood, and the various steps thereof will now be connectedly, but briefly, set forth.

It must be assumed that the plugs 10 are normally absent from the portion of the switchboard illustrated in the drawing. Now, assuming that a subscriber takes down the receiver and calls a number, the operator will be warned of such call by a construction not disclosed in the drawing. The

- operator will then remove a plug 10 from a part of the switchboard apparatus (not shown), and insert it in openings 8 and 9 corresponding with the position of the contacts 12 and 13, which are arranged in the circuit of the telephone used by the calling subscriber. The introduction of this plug will close the calling circuit of the subscriber by virtue of the bridging of the space between the contacts 12 and 13 by the inner portion of the plug 10. This will act upon the contact 16 of the magnet circuit, whereby the extremity 29 of the latter is caused to approach the adjacent extremity 29 of the companion contact 17. Now, as

' suming that the subscriber has held his conversation with the party called, before the operator removes the plug 10 from the switchboard, she will push on the button 36 until the latter, together with the sleeve 38, has assumed the position shown in Fig.

3, whereby the contact 17 has been actuated sufficiently to bring its extremity 29 into engagement with the corresponding extremity of the spring contact 16, thus closing the circuit through the electromagnet 24, whereby the pivoted arm 42 is actuated through the instrumentality of the armature 41 of the magnet to impart sufficient movement to the pawl 44 to cause the latter to actuate the disk 46 a distance of one tooth, whereby a call is indicated on the counting register 47. As soon as this occurs, the plug 10 will be removed from the openings 8 and 9 of the switchboard and returned to its normal position, thus allowing the contact 16 to resume its normal position breaking the magnet circuit.

At the same time, the contact 17 will be left free to spring away from the sleeve 38, sufliciently to release the said sleeve, in

which event the relatively weak spiral spring will have suflicient recoil power to return the button 36, together with the sleeve 38, to their normal position, ready for the next operation.

In the form of construction shown in Figs. 4 and 5, a hook-shaped member 58 is pivotally connected to a stationary support, as shown at 69, the hooked end of the mem her being U-shaped and interposed between an inserted plug 10 and a lamp 57. Normally, the member 58 protrudes into the path of a plug 10 under the influence ofa spiral spring 59, having one extremity connected, as shown at 60, with a bar 61 resting on a pin 62 and slidable on a pin 63, the bar being slotted, as shown at 64, for the purpose, the opposite extremity of the spring being secured, as shown at 68.

By virtue of the spring 59, one extremity of the bar 61 is caused to engage the hook end 65 of the pivoted member 58, the bar overlapping the part 65. To the forward extremity of the bar 61 is secured a pawl 66, which is acted on by a spring 67 to maintain it in operative relation with the ratchet disk 46 of the counting register. As soon as the plug is inserted in the switchboard in the manner heretofore explained, the pivoted pin 58 is forced downwardly toward the signal lamp 57, whereby one extremity of the bar 61 is brought into the path of the sleeve 38, whereby, as the latter is pushed inwardly, its inner extremity acts upon the bar to move the latter suiiiciently to rotate the disk 46, the distance of one tooth, see Fig. 5.

The push-button, together with the sleeve 38 connected therewith, will remain in this position until the plug 10 is removed after which the recoil action of the spring 40 will return the push-button and sleeve to their normal position, see Fig. 4.

In other respects, this form of construction is operated in precisely the same manner and under the same circumstances as heretofore fully explained when describing the operation of the other form of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In combination, a capless call signal lamp, a counter register, means for actuating the latter, including a push-button arranged in the place of the cap of the signal lamp, and performing the function of the said cap.

2. In combination, a signal lamp, a telephone call counting register, and means for actuating the same including a signal lamp cap movably mounted and equipped with a sleeve arranged to surround said lamp.

3. In telephone apparatus, a signal lamp, a call counting register, means for actuating the register including a signal lamp cap movably mounted, and equipped with a sleeve surrounding the lamp, and a socket plug, said means being operable only when the plug is set in its socket.

4. In telephone apparatus, a switcl1-b0ard e having a push-button and a plug socket arranged in close proximity to each other, a plug for said socket, a call counting register and means for actuating said register including an element arranged to be operated by the insertion of the plug and a second element arranged to be operated by the pressing of the button, both of said elements adapted to engage each other during said operation and this operation being necessary to the actuation of the register.

plug for said socket, a call counting register,

means for actuating said register including 20 an element arranged to be operated by the insertion of the plug and a second element arranged to be operated by the pressing of the button, both of said elements adapted to engage each other during said operation and 25 this operation being necessary to the actuation of the register and means upon said second element for retalnlng the push button in its actuated position until the plug 7 C'opies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). C. 

